Statistics Canada recently released employment insurance data for the various provinces, and I thought I’d check where Alberta sits compared to the other provinces.
The data is up to date since July 2022.
Here are the number of employment insurance claims Canada received from each province. These aren’t necessarily the number of claims honoured, just those submitted from each province.
| ON | 79,800 |
| QC | 65,130 |
| AB | 28,870 |
| BC | 28,620 |
| NS | 9,920 |
| NB | 9,420 |
| MB | 9,090 |
| NL | 8,740 |
| SK | 6,880 |
| PEI | 2,660 |
Alberta had the third highest number. It’s not surprising that it’s so high, given that we have the fourth highest population in the country.
That being said, it also means that our EI claims are higher than where they should be, given the size of our population. Either that or BC—which is in fourth place—is lower than it should be, given that it has the third highest population.
Compared to the previous month, Alberta saw the second largest increase in EI claims.
| Jul 2022 | Aug 2022 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | 28,030 | 28,870 | 840 | 3.00% |
| BC | 28,150 | 28,620 | 470 | 1.67% |
| NS | 9,570 | 9,920 | 350 | 3.66% |
| ON | 79,570 | 79,800 | 230 | 0.29% |
| NL | 8,580 | 8,740 | 160 | 1.86% |
| PEI | 2,650 | 2,660 | 10 | 0.38% |
| SK | 6,960 | 6,880 | -80 | -1.15% |
| MB | 9,270 | 9,090 | -180 | -1.94% |
| NB | 10,840 | 9,420 | -1,420 | -13.10% |
| QC | 68,320 | 65,130 | -3,190 | -4.67% |
Alberta topped the list at 840 more EI claims in August than they saw in July. BC, which saw the second largest increase, went up by 470. Nova Scotia was third at 350, but wasn’t even half the increase that Alberta saw.
If we look at percentage increase, however, Alberta saw the second largest. Their 3.0% increase was just shy of Nova Scotia, which was at 3.66% and nearly double that of Newfoundland and Labrador and BC, which was in third and fourth place.
Canada, as a whole, saw 2,810 fewer EI claims in August than they did in July, a 1.11% decrease. Alberta accounted for 11.54% of all of Canada’s EI claims in August, compared to 11.21% in July.
Here’s how the provinces performed over the last year.
| Aug 2021 | Aug 2022 | Change | % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | 28,110 | 28,870 | 760 | 2.70% |
| NL | 8,120 | 8,740 | 620 | 7.64% |
| NS | 9,310 | 9,920 | 610 | 6.55% |
| MB | 8,840 | 9,090 | 250 | 2.83% |
| PEI | 2,730 | 2,660 | -70 | -2.56% |
| SK | 7,280 | 6,880 | -400 | -5.49% |
| BC | 29,770 | 28,620 | -1,150 | -3.86% |
| ON | 81,380 | 79,800 | -1,580 | -1.94% |
| NB | 11,420 | 9,420 | -2,000 | -17.51% |
| QC | 77,190 | 65,130 | -12,060 | -15.62% |
Alberta saw the largest increase. Their 760 increase was more than 100 more than Newfoundland and Labrador’s 620, which itself was in second place.
On a percentage basis, Newfoundland and Labrador saw a 7.64% increase in EI claims over the last year, exceeding the 6.55% increase during the same period seen in Nova Scotia, which was in second place.
Alberta’s 2.7% increase put it in fourth place, just behind Manitoba (2.83%). Canada saw a loss of over 15,000 EI claims between August 2021 and August 2022, a decrease of 5.68%.
Alberta’s share of the nation’s total EI claims last August ws 10.6%. As I pointed out earlier, the share a year later was 11.54%.
